A NEW school safety plan in Dumanjug has caused a lot of discussion about how far local governments can go when making rules for students. Mayor Guntrano “Gungun” Gica proposed a ban on cellphones and mandatory bag checks, but education officials say they need to review the official documents first.
What is the proposed policy?
Mayor Gica announced his plan through a video on Facebook. He wants to create an executive order that forces all students to go through a bag inspection before they are allowed inside their schools.
Under these new rules:
Schools will use a “No Inspection, No Entry” rule.
School staff will check bags for sharp objects and deadly weapons.
Smartphones will be completely banned inside schools, though basic keypad and analog phones will still be allowed.
The mayor explained there will be an adjustment period until August where parents can pick up confiscated smartphones from the principal’s office. However, after that grace period ends, any confiscated phones will be held until the very end of the school year. Mayor Gica said these rules are meant to keep campuses safe.
Why was the policy created?
The mayor decided to propose these rules after a fatal shooting in Tacloban City on June 22, which left three people dead and several others injured. Even though the shooting did not happen in Dumanjug, the mayor said it showed why towns need to stop weapons from getting into schools.
The town also announced other safety plans, including giving school heads two-way radios, working closer with responders like the police, fire bureau, and disaster management officers, buying school buses for student, starting weekend tutorials and values formation programs.
Why is DepEd reviewing the rules?
The Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu Province said it has not actually received a copy of Mayor Gica’s official executive order yet. Schools Division Superintendent Senen Priscilo Paulin said they have asked for the paperwork to make sure the town’s plan matches national school laws.
DepEd explained that while they like working with local towns, any new rules must match national rules, specifically DepEd Order No. 006 (series of 2026) about safe learning environments and Division Memorandum No. 240 (series of 2026). For now, school heads have been told to talk with local officials but send any big policy questions directly to the main division office.
Can a mayor make rules for schools?
Local governments are supposed to help keep peace and order, and they can absolutely work with schools on safety. However, DepEd is still the main group in charge of running public schools. Rules about how schools operate, student discipline, and student rights must line up with national education laws. This is why DepEd is waiting to read the exact wording of the executive order before they say how it should be used.
What are the main concerns?
The community is currently talking about how to balance safety with the rights of the students. People are asking several important questions:
Can a school force students to undergo bag checks just to get into class?
Can a mayor legally ban cellphones in a public school through an executive order?
Is keeping a student’s phone until the end of the school year a fair punishment?
How can schools stay safe while still respecting student rights?
What has the National Government said?
During a press briefing at Malacañang, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said she understands that the mayor wants to protect students, but she questioned the punishment. She noted that while the goal of the policy is good, holding onto a student’s confiscated phone until the end of the school year might need to be reconsidered.
As of June 30, DepEd Cebu Province is still waiting to receive the official executive order from the Dumanjug government. Once they get the paperwork, the Schools Division Office will check it against DepEd regulations to decide what schools should do next. In the meantime, the town says it plans to strictly enforce the cellphone ban starting in August, though the final rules still depend on the upcoming official review. \ Gabriel Solamo UP Cebu Intern /CDF
